A Thief in the Snow
by Desha
Summary: Yuffie saves Reno from freezing on the Great Glacier. ReadReview, please :


A Thief in the Snow  
by Desha  
  
Note: I'll warn you right now... This is silly, pointless, and kinda all over the place. Truthfully, it's just an excuse to get Reno out of his clothes... That said, it can't be all bad. ;) Review please, cuz to be honest, I'm not sure if this is good, bad, or just plain dumb. LOL...  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
The freezing air made her lungs ache with each panting breath as she ran. She could no longer hear the sounds of pursuit behind her, and when she at last decided she was safe, she stopped, leaning on a snow-covered tree to catch her breath. She grinned in triumph as she opened the little sack she carried, eyes glittering like the small crystalline orbs inside. She laughed, delighted by how easy it had been... And to think, she'd been looking for a challenge when she'd spied the former Turks at Icicle Inn... Not on of them had even noticed her as she looted them... until that stupid tourist ran through the door and plowed into her as she was making her escape, that is. The three Turks had definitely seen her then. In retrospect, if she'd just casually gotten to her feet and strolled out, she probably could have been long gone before they'd realized what had happened - but no... She just couldn't resist throwing them a mischievous grin and waving.  
  
After that, she might as well have been wearing an "I stole all your materia" sign around her neck, because the next thing she knew, Reno, Rude, and Elena were chasing her toward the steep slope that led out onto the snowfields of the Great Glacier. Thief that she was, she'd "borrowed" a snowboard from an innocent bystander and a moment later was flying down the slope... only to discover that the Turks weren't far behind.  
  
Elena had been easy enough to trip up, and Rude feel victim to a gaggle of inexperienced skiers that accidentally maneuvered directly into his path before he could move to avoid them, but Reno was just too agile, keeping up with her until the huge jump at the end of the run. She'd sailed through the air, forgetting the Turk long enough to concentrate on landing without breaking her neck. She'd landed, sprawled on the ground, spitting out a mouthful of snow. Reno was no where in sight, but she'd known that he couldn't have been too far away. So she ran, and soon heard the irate redhead calling her name out angrily in the icy air.  
  
But she'd lost him, and now she could enjoy the fruits of her labor. She looked through the bag, noting that the Turks had been carrying some pretty decent stuff.  
  
"Yuffie!"  
  
The ninja spun around, nearly dropping the sack of materia, and found that she hadn't lost Reno after all...  
  
"Uh... Hiya Reno. How's life?" she said, shifting the sack behind her back.  
  
"Fork it over, you little thief," he replied, narrowing his eyes.  
  
"Umm... No!" And with that, she turned on her heel, sprinting off through the snow. Yuffie heard a loud curse from behind her, and not surprisingly when she glanced back, Reno was after her again.  
  
'Well, he's not gonna catch me...' she thought, confidently. Just ahead, she could see an expanse of ice glimmering in the sunlight... a frozen lake. 'Perfect,' she decided, and headed straight for it, not slowing as her feet hit the ice. She stumbled a bit, but kept her balance, using her momentum to sail across to the other side. She turned back just in time to see Reno run out onto the ice, but he didn't get far on the slippery surface before his feet slid out from under him. Yuffie watched the display, laughing as the tall, skinny Turk toppled over backwards, feet flying in the air, and landed on his back on the ice.  
  
"Serves ya right, Turkey!" she yelled, and turned to start running again, expecting him to be on her trail again before long. Yuffie ran a little ways before looking back. She paused, listening intently for the sound of Reno's boots crunching in the snow, but there was nothing. Curious, she cautiously started back in the direction she'd come from, stopping at the edge of the ice. She gazed out across the distance, seeing the Turk still lying motionless on his back.  
  
"Uh oh... Didn't mean for that to happen..." she said to herself as she stepped back onto the ice. She suddenly paused as a thought occurred to her. The damn Turk might just be trying to trick her into coming close enough that he could grab her. She certainly wouldn't put it past him... Than again, he might really be hurt, and the odds of someone finding him out there were pretty slim. But there was still the little fact that Turkey over there was supposed to be her enemy... even if Shin-Ra *was* gone now. This was one of the creeps that had followed she and her friends all over the Planet, spying on them, sabotaging them, trying to kill them... Still, if the guy was hurt, it was kinda her fault...  
  
Finally, her conscience got the better of her and she set the sack of materia down. Trap or not, she had to check, and she slowly made her way out to him, watching for any movement that might indicate deception on Reno's part.  
  
Yuffie reached him and nudged him with the toe of her boot, quickly retreating back a few steps just in case he tried something, but Reno still didn't move. She knelt down next to him and poked him in the ribs.  
  
"Come on, Turkey... Rise and shine..." she prodded, "Reno?"  
  
No she was starting to worry... He was out cold. Yuffie slid a hand under his head and felt a large lump beginning to form where his skull had collided with the ice.  
  
"Stupid Turk... It's you're own fault, ya know! This never would've happened if you'd just let me keep the materia," she muttered as she stood up and wondered what else could go wrong today. She didn't have to wonder long. The ice suddenly creaked beneath her feet, long crack spiderwebbing out from where her weight and Reno's rested on the surface. Instinctively, she jumped back as the ice crumbled, forgetting Reno for the moment and scrambling to safety as the Turk slipped through the broken ice and into the freezing water below. She snagged the collar of his coat just before he completely vanished from sight, and pulled him toward her. His clothes, now soaked through, made him a good deal heavier than he would have been otherwise, and it was a miracle that the section of ice Yuffie was on didn't break as she strained to haul the unconscious Turk out.  
  
"Not the best time to go for a swim, Reno..." she grunted as she finally managed to pull the man back on to of the ice, and decided that the next thing she had to do was get them both back onto solid ground before anything else happened. She'd worry about the fact that the Turk was half-frozen later. Yuffie grabbed Reno by the ankles and dragged him across the ice, back to where she'd left the materia.  
  
"Will ya wake up already?!" she yelled at the now-shivering redhead, "You better not be expecting me to carry you out of here, Turkboy..."  
  
She stared at him for a moment, desperately hoping for a response.  
  
"Gawd... You *so* owe me for this," she sighed at last, glaring at the Turk, and wondering what would be the easiest way to carry him... and for that matter, where the heck she was going to take him. She vaguely remembered there being a cabin out here somewhere, though she could only guess at what direction to take to get there. Yuffie quickly reclaimed her materia before draping Reno's arm around her shoulders so she could half-carry, half-drag him along.  
  
"Don't suppose you're gonna be much help in navigating, huh?" she said. Reno remained unresponsive. "Yeah, that's what I thought." Yuffie sighed and picked a direction at random. Maybe if she was lucky she'd run into the other two Turks somewhere out here. Then they could take Reno off her hands.  
  
The water from Reno's saturated clothes was seeping through her own heavy coat, chilling her. Every few minutes, the wind would pick up and send the snow flying through the air in a wall of white that more than once made her lose all sense of direction. She uttered every curse she could think of at the Turk... a few that would have made even Cid proud... as she staggered though the snow, cold, wet, tired, and miserable.  
  
And just when she was sure she couldn't drag Reno's skinny ass another step, Yuffie found herself standing in front of a cabin, the structure seeming to materialize out of nowhere as the snow kicked up by the wind settled to the ground again.  
  
"Yes! I knew I'd find it... And I bet *you* thought I couldn't, didn't you? Shows what you know, Turkey..." she said, grinning as, with renewed energy, she made her way to the door of the cabin, not caring in the least that the person she was accusing of doubting her wasn't even aware of the fact that she'd been dragging him across the glacier for the last hour or so.  
  
It was dark inside, and save for the fact that it blocked out the bitter wind, the little structure was almost as cold inside as outside. Yuffie dropped Reno on the floor and looked around. The place didn't look like anyone had been in it in a long time, but there was some wood next to the hearth, and she augmented that with a few floorboards that she managed to pry up before digging through her sack and pulling out a Fire materia. Soon a fire blazed in the hearth, illuminating the room and slowly warming it. The furniture was sparse, but in surprisingly good condition, and Yuffie stripped a blanket off the bed in the corner before stripping the Turk of his sodden clothes, tossing the blanket over him before she had a chance to see anything interesting. She considered putting him in the bed, but decided he'd be better off closer to the fire.  
  
She tossed her own damp coat into a corner and sat down next to Reno, in front of the fire, watching as the shivering that wracked his thin frame gradually subsided, his pale cheeks taking on a soft pink hue as he began to warm up. She yawned, suddenly realizing just how exhausting the trip to the cabin had been. Yuffie watched Reno a moment longer before deciding that after all the trouble he'd caused her, she'd earned a nap.  
  
'But first...' she thought, glancing at the sack containing her stolen materia, 'I think I'd better make sure Turkey isn't going to be getting his stuff back...'  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
Yuffie awoke feeling stiff from sleeping on the hard wooden floor. She sat up and stretched her sore muscles before tossing another floorboard onto the dying fire. Reno still lay in front of the fireplace, sleeping peacefully, and Yuffie wondered just how long she'd been asleep herself.  
  
"Hey ya lazy Turk... Are you planning on waking up sometime *this* century?" she asked, shaking him lightly. He stirred, but didn't wake. Yuffie sighed and for lack of anything better to do, sat beside him, watching him intently. His chest rose and fell softly under the blanket with each breath in a clam, steady rhythm. His face had an almost angelic appearance, a sharp contract to the dangerous, smug expression he usually wore, the thin lines of the twin scars trailing smoothly over his cheeks, eyelashes curling ever so slightly upwards, lips curved in a tiny half-smile, as though he were thoroughly enjoying whatever little dream was playing in his mind at the moment. What really held her attention though, was how surprisingly fragile he looked when he was asleep... as if he might break at the slightest touch.  
  
"Ya know, you're kinda cute... for a Turkcicle," Yuffie said softly, before thinking her words over, "Ugh... I can't believe I just said that..."  
  
Reno mumbled something incoherent and rolled onto his side, the blanket sliding just enough to expose his back to her. Yuffie reached out to pull it back into place, but paused when she caught sight of a tattoo on his upper arm peeking out from underneath the fabric. Curious, she pushed the blanket aside to get a better look, finding it to be an image of a phoenix, its wings spread as though the firebird was about to take flight, flames arching out from its body.  
  
"Enjoying the view?"  
  
The ninja squeaked in surprise at the sound of the slightly pained voice and backed away, only then realizing that in her haste to get a better look at the Turk's body art she'd moved the blanket enough to reveal a bit more of Reno's body than she'd meant to... and she thanked the Fates above that he'd had his back to her.  
  
"I... I... wasn't *looking*! I mean I was. But not at you!" she stammered. Reno rolled over, effectively enveloping his nude form in the blanket once more, grinning smugly at the ninja, who by then had turned a shade of red bright enough to rival Reno's hair.  
  
"Heh... That's a good color for ya, Yuff..." he commented, wincing as his sat up slightly, wondering where his splitting headache had come from. He looked around the room, just then noticing the unfamiliar surroundings, "Hey... uh... Where are we? And for that matter, where are my clothes? And why am I... um... not wearing them?"  
  
"We're in a cabin somewhere on the glacier," said Yuffie, finally managing to recover, though the heat refused to fade from her cheeks, much to her dismay, "And it's all *your* fault..."  
  
"*My* fault?!" Reno replied, "How is any of this my fault? I was just trying to get back what *you* stole from me... The last thing I remember is chasing you..." He narrowed his eyes, "What did you do to me? How did I get here?"  
  
"I didn't do anything to you! If anything, you should be on your hands and knees thanking me!" Yuffie replied, folding her arms across her chest stubbornly, "*You* knocked yourself out on the ice... I could have just left you to freeze, but I decided to take pity on you and save your sorry butt!"  
  
"Ah... I see. So a minute ago, I guess you were just checking to make sure that particular part of my anatomy was still intact," said Reno, unable to resist the opportunity for such a witty comeback... She'd walked right into that one... Yuffie reddened again.  
  
"I was *not* looking at your butt!" she screamed, mortified. Reno sat up, blinking away the slight wave of dizziness that hit him. The amused smile that graced his features was maddening, and at last Yuffie gave up her protests and just glared at him, telling herself that she didn't care what he thought.  
  
"Sure Yuffiekins... I believe you," he replied. Yuffie continued to glare at him, the remark she had ready on the tip of her tongue held back for the moment, not wanting to give him more ammunition to taunt her with.  
  
"Keep that up and you're face'll stick that way... 'Course in your case it'd be an improvement..." said Reno.  
  
"Drop dead, Turkboy," she muttered back. Reno clutched a hand to his chest, face contorted in mock-distress, and obediently keeled over. Yuffie couldn't help herself, snickering softly at the display. Reno peeked one eye open, then quickly snapped it shut again when Yuffie noticed.  
  
"Much better," she stated, climbing to her feet. She found that the Turk's clothes were dry now, and collected them, carrying them over to where Reno lay and dumping them on his head, "Here."  
  
Reno unearthed himself from the pile of clothes, pulling the blanket tight around him as he stood up, sticking his tongue out indignantly at Yuffie.  
  
"Aren't you going to get dressed?" she prodded.  
  
"Aren't you going to turn around and give me a little privacy?" he countered.  
  
"Aww... Is the big, tough Turkey a widdle bit shy?" she teased.  
  
"Nope," Reno replied with a smirk, releasing the blanket and letting it drop to the floor. Yuffie's eyes widened in shock, and she spun around, turning her back to him and ignoring the fact that he was laughing at her hysterically.  
  
"Gawd... Pervert!"  
  
"You... You should have seen you're face!" Reno cackled. Yuffie heard the soft rustle of cloth, and a minute or two later Reno spoke again, "You can turn around now."  
  
Yuffie hesitantly did so, and was relieved to see him dressed this time.  
  
"Great... So since you're gonna live and everything, I'll just be going now," said Yuffie, collecting her coat - and the sack she'd hidden underneath it.  
  
"Oh, I don't think so," Reno replied, moving past her to block the door, "See, there's still the little matter of that materia you stole..."  
  
"I'll just consider that compensation for saving you," said Yuffie, smiling innocently.  
  
"Yeah, I'm sure you would... Hand it over."  
  
"Gawd... That's gratitude for ya," the ninja grumbled as she reluctantly gave the sack to Reno, and then pushed her way past him, pulling on her coat and storming out the door. The Turk shrugged as let her go... after all, he'd gotten what he'd wanted from her. He grinned to himself and opened the sack, reaching in and pulling out a handful of... ice?  
  
"Yuffie!"  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
She paused for a moment, thinking that she'd heard her name carried on the icy wind. She looked back and saw that her trail had already been covered by the drifting snow. He'd never find her. Yuffie smirked and patted her bulging pockets...  
  
*~fin~*  
  



End file.
